EXPECTANT mothers in Swindon are waking up to the irreparable harm of smoking during pregnancy with new figures showing a 15 per cent rise in those quitting to give their newborns a better chance at life.

In May, it emerged that 103 mothers were still smoking at the time of giving birth in the last quarter of 2013-2014, nearly 15 per cent of all women giving birth, which put Swindon at the top of the table for the Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire region.

But health warnings appear to have persuaded many new mums to give up the lethal habit for the sake of their child as between April and June the number of mums smoking at the time of delivery had dropped by nearly 15 per cent, to 88.

This was 11.9 per cent of all mothers giving birth.

Like many women, being pregnant gave Lucy Mathieson the extra determination to give up smoking for good.

She is now urging mothers to put their child’s health first.

The 24-year-old customer assistant, from Redhouse, beat her addiction in March and has remained smoke-free ever since for the sake of her baby son Riley, now 10 weeks old.

“I realised it wasn’t just about me now – I was responsible for someone else too and promised to give up because I couldn’t bear the thought of potentially harming my little boy,” she said.

“People didn’t think I would succeed. It’s a terrible addiction, but I stayed strong and stuck to my word.”

Lucy was supported on her journey by specialist midwife Annabel Cooper.

She said: “Annabel was brilliant. She wasn’t patronising and didn’t tell me what to do, but she supported me when I needed it and understood how hard it was. Although the decision and willpower has got to come from you, I recommend getting her help.

“If ever I get a craving to smoke, I only have to look into my little boy’s gorgeous eyes and remember why I’ll never, ever go back there again.”

Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to the baby, so their heart has to beat harder every time their mother smokes.

On average, babies of smokers are 200g lighter than other babies. A low birth weight adds to the risks of stillbirth, and makes babies weaker and at greater risk of disease with a higher risk of hearing loss, learning difficulties and sight problems, as well as cerebral palsy.

As they grow older, they are more likely to get infections, such as inflammation of the middle ear, and have health conditions that require hospital treatment, such as asthma.

Cherry Jones, Swindon Council acting director of Public Health, said: “It is positive news that the number of women in Swindon smoking during pregnancy has fallen, according to these very latest statistics, although encouraging and supporting more expectant mothers to stop remains a high priority for us.

“Smoking in pregnancy can cause various serious health problems for the baby, such as low birth weight, premature birth and placenta complications. It can, tragically, even result in death. That’s why we, working with partners such as the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group and SEQOL, are committed to reducing its prevalence and have measures in place to achieve this. With Stoptober, the 28-day challenge to quit, beginning next week there has never been a better time to give up and start experiencing the benefits.”

For more information and advice about how to quit, call freephone 0800 3892229 or 01793 465513, text 07881281797 or email besmokefree@seqol.org.